Impasse between cold storage owners & potato traders resolved

Kolkata: The intervention of the state government on Friday resolved the trouble between cold storage owners and potato traders over a hike in rental charges of the cold storages. This would ensure that potato prices would not soar up.

The cold storage association had proposed an increase in the rent of cold storages from 148 per quintal to the 157 per quintal but the state Progotoshil Aloo Byabsayee Samity (PABS) has strongly opposed this hike.

The PABS had proposed an indefinite strike from September 2 onwards. They also threatened to stop loading and unloading of the potato bags from the cold storages to protest against the proposed hike in the rental charges for the storage of potato bags.

A senior official of the Agriculture Marketing department said the state government is not aware of any hike in cold storage rent. "We are looking into the matter. The potato prices would not be hiked," he said.

Lalu Mukherjee, the secretary of PABS, along with other members met Agriculture Marketing minister Tapan Dasgupta with their demand . The minister assured to examine their demand and take steps to hold back the hike in the rental charges of cold storage.

"The PABS have decided to withdraw their strike after the minister's assurance," the official added.

Tarun Kanti Ghosh, the state president of cold storage association said that the cold storage charges are on a rise. Electrical consumption, maintenance charges of the cold storage, daily manual labour charges and other charges for past 2 years have not been raised.

So it's difficult for them to continue business of the storage cost is not hiked.